Bridle-bit



0. M. SLOAT.

BRIDLE BIT.

Patented Aug. 26, 1890.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER M. SLOAT, OE BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

BRlDLE-BIT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 435,252, dated August 26, 1890.

Application filed February 5, 1890. Serial No. 3391298- (No model.)

To all whom it. may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER M. SLOAT, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Qurb-Bit, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in curb-bits. The curb-bit in common use is provided with rings, into which the reins may be buckled when used as an ordinary bit, and with eyes in the cheek-pieces, into which the reins .are buckled when it is used as a curbbit; but a bit of this construction must be used either as a curb or as a common bit, as the position of the reins cannot be changed without unbuckling them.

The object of my invention is to provide a curb-bit that will be self-adj ustablethat is, in which the power of the curb will be regulated by the amount of force'applied to the reins, increasing when the reins are subjected to great strain and diminishing when the strain is lessened.

To this end my invention consists in the novel construction of parts hereinafter fully described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the bit, a

showing the sliding eye in a raised position; and Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same with the eyes in the lower end of the cheek-pieces.

The bit is provided with the usual mouthpiece A, which connects the two cheek-pieces B. The cheek-pieces B are provided at the extreme upper end with eyes a, to which the curb-chain O is attached in the usual manner. The cheek-pieces B may be made in any desired style or shape, so long as they are long enough to give the necessary leverage. They are provided with a slot D, which extends nearly the entire length of the same, passing just back of the mouth-piece A.

A movable eye E is fastened into the slot D, said eye having flanges E, which overlap the sides of the cheek-pieces and hold it in position therein, and having its ends E curved,

as shown, to form a suitable eye to receive the driving-rein. The eye E 1s suspended 1n the slot D by a spiral spring E, which just '1. The driving-reins are buckled into the eyes E, and when the eyes are in an elevated position, as shown in Fig. 1, the bit will act as an ordinary bit. When, however, the horse begins to pull upon the reins, the cheekpieces B will be tipped backward, and the pressure of the reins upon the eyes E will cause the eyes to slide downwardly in the slot D until, if the pressure is very heavy, they reach the lower ends of the slots. It will thus be seen that the power of the curb will be regulated by the pressure of the reins, increasing as the pressure is increased and the eyes are forced down in the slot, and

diminishing as the pressure is relieved andthe eyes are drawn up by the springs. This bit is especially adapted to runaway horses and pullers, as an animal will soon learn that to have the bit easy to the month he must not pull. It will also enable a vicious horse to be much more easily controlled.

I do not wish to confine myself to the particular form of sliding eye shown or'to the particular method of attaching the spring, as either may be done in any suitable manner.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. As an improved article of manufacture, an automatic curb-bit having a fixed mouthbar and slotted cheek-pieces, and the springactuated rein-eyes secured to slide in said slotted cheek-pieces, substantially as shown and described.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, an automatic curb-bit having a fixed mouthbar and longitudinally-slotted cheek-pieces,

the rein-eyes sliding in said slot and provided with flanges to overlap the sides of the same and hold said eyes in place, and springs connected with the rein-eyes and one end of eyes E, having flanges E and curved ends each of the slotted cheek-pieces, substantially E and means, as spring F, for holding said as shown and described. ,i eyes in position,substantially as described. 3. In an automatic curb-bit, the combina- OLIVER M. SLOAT. 5 tion, with the longicudinally-slotted v cheek- Witnesses: 7

pieces B, having a suitable mouth-piece and WARREN B. HUTCHINSON,

curb-chain attached thereto, of. the sliding EDGAR TATE. 

